Interleukin-13 (IL-13)
IL-13 is a 12 kDa secreted cytokine originally described as a T cell-derived cytokine that inhibits inflammatory cytokine production. Structural studies indicate that it has a four-helical bundle arrangement held by two disulphide bonds. Although IL-13 has four potential glycosylation sites, analysis of native IL-13 from rat lung has indicated that it is produced as an unglycosylated molecule. Expression of human IL-13 from NSO and COS-7 cells confirms this observation (Eisenmesser et al, J. Mol. Biol. 2001 310(1):231-241; Moy et al, J. Mol. Biol. 2001 310(1):219-230; Cannon-Carlson et al, Protein Expression and Purification 1998 12(2):239-248).
IL-13 has been implicated in asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Allergic disease including atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis, Esophagal eosinophilia, Oncology Indications, e.g. B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) and Hodgkin's disease, Inflammatory Bowel Diseases e.g. ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and indeterminate colitis, Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis, Acute graft-versus-host disease, Diabetic nephropathy, Fibrotic Conditions such as Pulmonary fibrosis e.g. Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF).